# Promoting Functional Mobility in Individuals with Non-Ambulatory Cerebral Palsy: A Scoping Review of the MOVE Programme

## TL;DR

The MOVE program, used for 40 years, helps non-ambulatory individuals with cerebral palsy improve mobility through structured, family-centered activities.

## Contribution

This scoping review maps the global use and theoretical foundations of the MOVE program for non-ambulatory cerebral palsy.

## Key findings

- MOVE has been widely implemented across clinical and educational settings for non-ambulatory individuals.
- The program is based on dynamic systems theory and motor learning, with a focus on task-specific and family-centered activities.
- More descriptive than experimental evidence currently supports the effectiveness of the MOVE program.

## Abstract

What are the main findings?
MOVE has been implemented for almost 40 years in a wide variety of clinical and educational settings to enhance functional mobility with non-ambulatory individuals.There is currently more descriptive rather than experimental evidence published in relation to the MOVE programme.

MOVE has been implemented for almost 40 years in a wide variety of clinical and educational settings to enhance functional mobility with non-ambulatory individuals.

There is currently more descriptive rather than experimental evidence published in relation to the MOVE programme.

What are the implications of the main findings?
MOVE can be considered an activity-based approach that may be used to facilitate family-centred goals and enhance participation in meaningful activities in line with contemporary theories and clinical guidelines.Further experimental research is required to elucidate the programme’s mechanisms and further establish its effectiveness.

MOVE can be considered an activity-based approach that may be used to facilitate family-centred goals and enhance participation in meaningful activities in line with contemporary theories and clinical guidelines.

Further experimental research is required to elucidate the programme’s mechanisms and further establish its effectiveness.

Background/Objective: Mobility Opportunities Via Education (MOVE) is a structured intervention to enhance independent mobility skills in individuals who are non-ambulatory. This study aims at identifying and mapping the literature related to the MOVE programme and to describe its content according to preselected categories, focusing on individuals with non-ambulatory cerebral palsy. Methods: A scoping review was conducted, with thirteen databases searched in May 2024, complemented by reference search and private databases; the search was updated in August 2025. Publications after 1985 were included without restrictions on language, population, or context. Two reviewers independently screened records and extracted data using qualitative content analysis. Results: From 6794 records, 228 publications in 15 languages were included, mainly from the United States and Europe. MOVE was developed in the 1980s during a shift towards age-appropriate, functional interventions for individuals with severe disabilities. It is an early task-specific, activity-based and family-centred approach with retrospectively proposed foundations in dynamic systems theory and motor learning. Implementation follows a structured six-step process, embedding mobility training into daily routines. MOVE has been implemented across populations, settings, and countries, particularly for non-ambulatory individuals with cerebral palsy.